[Pic: imdb.com]
Manoj Night Shyamalan‘s Village isn’t still out in Chennai. But the promos have already started. Last week, Star Movies featured two nights of Night’s movies. The first one was his not-so-hit movie, Unbreakable. Unbreakable is unmistakably one of unnoticed Shyamalan’s movie that had an amazing surprise twist. Even Signs didn’t have a surprise twist on par with Unbreakable. Forget Sixth Sense, it’s a movie par excellence. Unbreakable is also one of my favorite movies, all time.
Most of us believed in comic heroes, at least during our childhood. And so a kid also believes in comic heroes. What if his father itself is a real life comic hero? What if the comic hero himself takes time/effort to believe that he is one? What if life leads a man to a secret labyrinth after an accident? So goes the premise of Unbreakable. Being a comic addict, I just loved the idea of the movie made on a comic hero.
Bruce Willis as David Dunn amused me with his startling performance. We have seen Willis perform as an action hero but here he is an action hero without knowing he is. And so his subdued performance lightens up his capabilities as an actor. Samuel Jackson as Elijah Price, who is a physically frail comic book fanatic, creates ripples in us. The last time I enjoyed this duo was in the third serving of Die Hard called Die Hard: With a Vengeance. Remember Jeremy Irons saying ‘Simon Says’ in that mesmerizing voice.
Though many were disappointed by Shyamalan for Unbreakable after a movie like Sixth Sense, he proves his story telling ability once again. With two people who are connected to each other by their extremities, Shyamalan weaves a web of beliefs, comic books, super heroes and so so.
Samuel Jackson’s characterization as MR. Glass inspired me a lot. A true believer in himself, an optimist, a man despite his physical illness gets out finding a man who is directly opposite to him physically. No one, No one except Samuel Jackson would have done this role such perfectly. Let me know if you didn’t love that character when he shouts in agony, They call me MR. Glass. Riveting performance. And as he extends his hands to Bruce Willis in the final scenes, I never expected IT to happen.
I watched the movie a couple of years back in the DVD, I couldn’t believe the surprise twist in the ending and re-played the final scenes again. It’s easy to create a mystery from the beginning of the movie and keep it alive but what’s important is to unleash it by fulfilling the expectation bestowed on the mystery. Shyamalan did it convincingly.
I hope his latest offering The Village, keeps up to the same expectation that we have on this Indian storyteller.
kirukkal.com 
14 responses to “They call me MR. GLASS – The Night’s Might”
Hi LG,
I haven’t seen the movie. But your narration of it is too good. I am eager to see in future. So, that I can come back once again & read the same article to get the final satisfaction. Keep writing…………;-)
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Hi LG,
I haven’t seen the movie. But your narration of it is too good. I am eager to see in future. So, that I can come back once again & read the same article to get the final satisfaction. Keep writing…………;-)
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Hi Guru…totally agree with you on the twist in Unbreakable. But then, I was dumbfounded with the ending of The Sixth Sense too! Worth waiting for the Village, surely!
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Hi Guru…totally agree with you on the twist in Unbreakable. But then, I was dumbfounded with the ending of The Sixth Sense too! Worth waiting for the Village, surely!
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Lazy – Hope you are feeling better now.
also no one answered this before – has anyone seen his “Praying with Anger”. where can I get it?
All this hitchcock stuff is got but ocassionally I just like a simple story – straight with no suspense etc.
Reminds me of Nagesh in Sila Nerangalil ….. – “enna periya suspense – read the last page first and that is the end of it”.
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Unbreakable had very subdued performances from both Bruce Willis and Samuel Jackson. The story line with the surprise ending, with the narration remaining taut for the most part would easily make it Night’s best movie. Strangely this movie is not as highly rated as his other movies, which I found to over-hyped.
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>> “The Village”
Release date ???
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I watched village. I think it is English version of Vidathu Karrupu , a mystrey serial used to come in Sun TV by Naga. But the Background Music is excellent.
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The village is definetly good – worth the watch just a clear example of how ppl are stupid – n no it wasnt like vidatha karupu – just on the same mystery level
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Watched ‘Unbreakable’ only a week ago and am very impressed by the final twist.. wonder why this one got bombed in the box office!
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Thanks Tilo. Doing great now.
I know that Praying with Anger was shot in Madras by Manoj Night Shyamalan. Can’t get hold of that video here. they are oblivious to the fact that night did a movie with that title.
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Yeah – Praying with Anger would be cool. it sounds like an American born desi kid who is packed off to India for a while – to stay with grandparents etc. The girl in Dum–Dum – Dum Richa Ahuja is in it ,should definitely be worth a watch.
I am looking fwd. to Life of Pi, he said he is going to work on that next.
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can any one of u please tell me the storyline of sixth sense, never could understand matrix and sixth sense… i guess i am just plain dumb….
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I thought the “twist” of Unbreakable was pretty obvious. Haven’t seen The Village yet, but it got mediocre reviews here in the US.
Read this (SPOILERS, SO BEWARE!):
http://www.newindpress.com/news.asp?id=IEE20040811071327
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